Artificial Turf Wars

Greg, Josh, and Nick discuss the relatively successful last week of Blue Jays baseball. They talk about the crazy AL Wild Card race, Marco Estrada's waiver claim, Jose Bautista's hot streak, Marcus Stroman becoming a true staff ace, the constant injury roster shuffle, the signing of Brett Anderson, Aaron Sanchez to the pen, and the mystery of Rob Refsnyder. They also answer listener questions and give out Gold Stars to Ryan Goins and Ian Kinsler. 

Greg and Josh break down the recent news and stories from Blue Jays land with discussions on Roberto Osuna's struggles/odd pitch usage, Josh Donaldson and Marco Estrada's returns to form, Kevin Pillar and Ryan Goins' mirror struggles/successes, a banged up rotation and its effects on the bullpen, and a helping hand from former friend Francisco Liriano. They also answer a slew of listener questions, give a Do Over to the Texas Rangers broadcast, and hand out a Cliché of the Week. 

Nick Dika joins Greg and Josh to break down the last week of Jays, with a long look at the Blue Jays deadline moves and the impacts made by Francisco Liriano and Joe Smith during their time as Blue Jays. They also discuss Steve Pearce's magical week, Justin Smoak's continued dominance, a brief return to form from Marco Estrada, Josh Donaldson hitting slightly better, and Jose Bautista's struggles. Finally, they answer listener questions and give a Do Over to some MLB Umps.

To take a break from the depressing nature of discussing the 2017 Blue Jays, Greg and Josh decide to talk baseball movies instead. They review "Moneyball" and the documentary "Fastball", while also touching on Major League (of course), A League of Their Own, Bull Durham, and more via listener questions. 

Former Blue Jays Assistant Hitting Coach Eric Owens stops by to discuss working with major and minor league hitters, the issues plaguing the recent Blue Jays clubs, Josh Donaldson's swing techniques, and why many clubs now have two hitting coaches. Greg and Josh then discuss the returning members of the Blue Jays bullpen, the continues excellence of Marcus Stroman and Roberto Osuna, the struggles of Marco Estrada and the defence, and Dalton Pompey's sad tale. They also answer listener questions and discuss the trades from around the league and their impact on the Blue Jays.

Greg and Josh break down the last week in the Blue Jays and baseball world. They discuss the recent 3-2 Jays week that somehow included two disaster losses, the returns to form of Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki, Roberto Osuna's All-Star appearance and Marcus Stroman's absence, the struggles of the returning Aaron Sanchez, Marco Estrada and John Gibbons' recent performance, and the promotions of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. They also answer listener questions, give out a Do Over, and discuss some of the fun from All-Star week. 

Matt Kory of Baseball Prospectus stops by to discuss the recent Jays' massacre at the hands of the Boston Red Sox, the mastery of Chris Sale, and to look at the odd struggles of the Toronto Blue Jays against even mediocre arms. Greg and Josh also discuss Justin Smoak's All-Star starter nod, the pickup of Miguel Montero, J.A. Happ's success, the offensive struggles, Marcus Stroman's blister conspiracy, and the dominance of Lansing's duo of Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette Jr. Finally, they answer listener questions, give out a Do-Over, and try to make sense of the Angel Hernandez lawsuit against MLB.

The Ringer and Effectively Wild's Ben Lindbergh drops by to talk about his recent piece on the effect of the ball on the home run surge across baseball. He goes over his findings relating to the bounce of the ball and the lower seams, the cause/effect relationship of the new ball and the "flyball" revolution, and looks at why the home run increase is larger in the middle, as opposed to the big boppers. Greg and Josh also discuss the recent Jays play, including notes on the departure of Jason Grilli, the returns of Ezequiel Carrera and Michael Saunders, Justin Smoak's All-Star surge, and the return to form of Steve Pearce. They also give out a Do-Over, answer listener questions and give a Gold Star to John Gibbons for his handling of the Roberto Osuna issue.

Greg and Josh break down the latest 3-3 week in Blue Jays land. They look at the strange problems the starters seem to have when faced with a potential .500 record, the fun comeback against the Rangers, Marco Estrada's struggles, Justin Smoak continuing to swing a hot bat, Kevin Pillar having issues both at the plate and in the field, and the untimely injuries to Joe Smith and his replacement, Leonel Campos. They also play Swing and a Drive with Patreon donor Dave Church, answer listener questions, and give out a Do-Over. 

Burke Granger of 2080 Baseball stops by to discuss the 2017 draft. He gives reports on the first few players taken by the Jays in the draft, then discusses some surprised from day 1, the process for amateur scouts, and how they compile their rankings at 2080 baseball. Greg and Josh then discuss the last week in Jays land, with a look at the failure to reach .500, the dominance of Roberto Osuna and Justin Smoak, the struggles of Marco Estrada, and the return to health and form of J.A. Happ. Finally, they answer listener question and give out a Do-Over to the Los Angeles Angels. 

Greg and Josh go over the last week of stories from the Blue Jays' 4-3 week. They go over the games against the Yankees and Reds, touch on the triumphant return to superstardom (and health) of Josh Donaldson, the latest injury to Devon Travis, Francisco Liriano and Joe Biagini's rest of the season outlooks, and the J.P. Howell/Jason Grilli conundrum. They also give out THREE Do-Overs, and talk about the unlikely four homer game from Scooter Gennett. 

In a special bonus interview episode, Eno Sarris of Fangraphs stops by to discuss Joey Votto's unique approach to hitting with focus on the ways he has adapted to the pitchers' attack patterns, changed his swing path, and the mental aspect of hitting. He also discusses the mood in AT&T park after the Strickland/Harper altercation, Strickland's reaction, and how things could play out going forward.

Greg, Josh, and Nick break down the very successful last week in Blue Jays land with a specific look at the surging Devon Travis, the returning Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki, a finally full starting rotation, and the Rangers falling apart whenever they play the Blue Jays. They also discuss the Giants-Nationals brawl, answer listener questions, and give out a Do Over to Buck Martinez.

Greg and Josh break down the last week of news in Blue Jays land. They discuss the resurgent bullpen that is being led by surprising performers Ryan Tepera and Danny Barnes, a tremendous performance by Marco Estrada, the improved hitting from Jose Bautista and Devon Travis, and the constant shuffling of injured players on the Blue Jays roster. They also answer listener questions, give out two Do-Overs, and play Stump the Josh.

Jesse Goldberg-Strassler stops by to discuss the Jays minor league system with a specific focus on the loaded Lansing Lugnuts roster. He gives his views on wunderkinds Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, the phenomenon that is Bradley Jones, and gives his view on some AAA players who could help the big league club in a pinch. Greg and Josh also discuss the winning streak, the hot hitting of Kevin Pillar, Devon Travis, and Justin Smoak, the returns to health of some key Jays performers, and the defensive lapses of the most recent games. Finally, they answer listener questions and give out both a Do Over and Gold Star. 

Mike Petriello of MLB.com stops by to discuss Statcast and its effect on our ability to understand what is going on in the game of baseball. He goes into depth on the process by which stats are created, discusses some stats that didn't work out as hoped, and goes into the notion that Statcast can be overbearing at time for viewers. Greg and Josh also discuss the 3-3 week, the mounting injuries (this time to Russell Martin and Kendrys Morales), the resurgence of Roberto Osuna, the rotation shuffle, and Kevin Pillar's incredible catch against Cleveland. Finally, they answer listener questions and Josh attemps to handle two Stump the Josh questions!

Dr. Mike Sonne of BP Toronto and Rotographs stops by to discuss his Fatigue Units stat and factors that help predict/prevent injury with a specific look at Roberto Osuna, while also taking a look at the Blue Jays pitching staff through the lens of his STUFF metric. Greg and Josh discuss the brief glimpse at hope that came with the three game winning streak, a slightly improved offense, give updates on the injuries to Aaron Sanchez, Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowizki, and J.A. Happ, and break down a crazy 2-run sacrifice fly. Finally, they answer listener questions and give out a gold star to John Gibbons. 

Greg and Josh break down the first week for the 2017 Blue Jays that included "wins." They discuss the hot bats of Kevin Pillar and Justin Smoak, the early season struggles of Roberto Osuna, the strong pitching from the healthy starters, and a few bizarre plays from the week which culminted in Chris Coghlan's heroic dive. They also invite one of their Patreon donors onto the podcast to play "Swing and a Drive," before finishing up with listener questions and a Gold Star.

Greg and Josh look back on the four-game set with the Orioles and all its accompanying fallout. They discuss the injuries to Josh Donaldson, J.A. Happ, and Aaron Sanchez, the continued ghastly hitting, the strong starting pitching from those who remain healthy, and some quality bullpen performance from some not-so-average Joes. They also give Starling Marte a Do-Over, discuss a potential new MLB rules quirk, and answer listener questions. 

Greg and Josh look back at the rough start to the season for the Blue Jays, focusing on the toothless offense and what exactly had gone wrong there, the mostly strong pitching staff, the return of Jose Bautista's arm, and a nice welcome to the club for Kendrys Morales. They also give Rob Manfred yet another Do Over and answer listener questions.